Dead Space review (Xbox 360/ PS3/ PC)
WHO said survival-horror was dead?
DEAD Space is a survival-horror classic which keeps the player on the edge of their seat throughout.
It places your character Isaac Clarke on board a giant space ship which has been over-run by terrifying monsters, and his mission is simply to escape alive.
The game offers an incredibly atmospheric and tense experience, helped in no small part by the awesome graphics.
You literally never feel safe.
Aliens jump out on you from the air vent system or a window or out of the floor. Their groans, or the distant screams of their victims, can be also be heard echoing throughout the ship. Incoherent ramblings are scrawled onto the walls in blood. Occasionally you will come across a 'survivor' who has gone mad and there is nothing you can do to save them.
Tapes and video diaries (presented in cool 3D holographics) are also scattered around telling the story of how a once thriving commercial ship is now in complete chaos.
It all adds up to one very scary experience.
Make no mistake, this a game for fans of action and there is plenty of shooting to do be done. Combat is well realised, with the idea to 'strategically dismember' enemies rather than just shoot for the head.
Gunning down a horrific-looking badie with your last bullet as it jumps screaming through the air towards you, or slowing down time to momentarily delay one monster in order to take care of another one which is flanking you are just two of the scenarios you will find yourself in time and again, and it is exhilarating stuff.
The game feels fair too- whilst ammo is always in short supply and some monsters difficult to defeat, if you do die you restart near where you perished, and there are also plenty of save points scattered around. You can also find out where you're supposed to be heading with a simple click of the right stick, where a 'GPS' system draws a line towards your objective.
There are some problems, most notably a lack of diversity in the environments as you travel around the ship. The map is also very difficult to get to grips with, although this is mitigated by your GPS. The objectives are generally of the simple 'find switch and pull it' type, and are endlessly repeated. And the story, whilst done well through the audio and visual logs, is hampered by Isaac's total lack of speech and emotion. You do hear his heart-beat, which adds to the tension, but it would have also been nice to see and hear his fear at being placed in such a hellish place.
But to be honest these minor flaws don't really harm the overall experience.
Dead Space offers a terrifying treat to all action fans and is one of the most polished and well made games currently on the market.
Availability: out now.
bucksherald.co.uk rating: Score 9/10
Platform reviewed: Xbox 360
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